Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Miora Orange’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Miora Orange’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; dark green-colored leaves; uniform and freely flowering habit; and relatively large decorative-type inflorescences with ray florets that are initially red in color becoming dark orange and yellow orange in color with subsequent development giving the inflorescences a bi-colored appearance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘MIORA ORANGE’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Miora Orange’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniformly mounding and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2009 of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Caprioli Orange’, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Kismo Orange’, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2010.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative terminal cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2011. Asexual reproduction by vegetative terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Miora Orange’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Miora Orange’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant         habit; vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Relatively large decorative-type inflorescences with ray         florets that are initially red in color becoming dark orange and         yellow orange in color with subsequent development giving the         inflorescences a bi-colored appearance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the female parent, ‘Caprioli Orange’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller than plants of         ‘Caprioli Orange’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Caprioli Orange’ differ         in ray floret color as inflorescences of plants of ‘Caprioli         Orange’ have dark orange-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the male parent, ‘Kismo Orange’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more compact than plants         of ‘Kismo Orange’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have broader leaves than         plants of ‘Kismo Orange’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have larger inflorescences         than plants of ‘Kismo Orange’.     -   4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Kismo Orange’ differ in         ray floret color as inflorescences of plants of ‘Kismo Orange’         have light orange to salmon orange-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Nerola Orange’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,274. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Nerola Orange’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more compact than plants         of ‘Nerola Orange’.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Nerola Orange’ differed         in overall plant shape plants of the new Chrysanthemum were         flatter than and not as spherical as plants of ‘Nerola Orange’.     -   3. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were broader and         not as dark green in color as leaves of plants of ‘Nerola         Orange’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Miora Orange’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the spring and summer and under cultural practices generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 18° C. to 21° C. and night temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 15° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Miora Orange’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Caprioli             Orange’, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Kismo             Orange’, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Vegetative terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically light brown in             color, actual color of the roots dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizers, substrate             temperature and age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems             upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded             appearance to the plant; plants nearly spherical in overall             shape, somewhat flattened; very freely branching habit,             about 25 to 30 primary lateral branches develop, each             primary lateral branch with multiple secondary branches;             pinching enhances lateral branch development; dense and full             plant habit; strong and vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 35 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 45 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 30 cm to 35 cm. Diameter:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Internode length: About 2 cm to 2.5 cm.             Strength: Strong, flexible. Aspect: Upright to outwardly             spreading. Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged.             Luster: Matte. Color: Close to 136A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 4 cm             to 6 cm. Width: About 3.5 cm to 4 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Matte. Color:             Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A. Developing             leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C. Fully expanded leaves,             upper surface: Close to 136A; venation, close to 148C. Fully             expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 137C; venation,             close to 147B to 147C. Petioles: Length: About 1 cm.             Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Slightly pubescent and slightly rough. Luster, upper and             lower surfaces: Matte. Color, upper surface: Close to 136A.             Color, lower surface: Close to 137C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;             inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; disc             and ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering time.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower in mid-September in Belgium.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about 45 to 49 days on the plant grown in             an outdoor nursery; inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about 30 inflorescences developing per lateral branch with             numerous inflorescences developing per plant.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About             8 mm. Shape: Globular. Texture: Smooth. Color: Close to             137A.         -   Inflorescence size and shape.—Diameter: Relatively large,             about 5 cm. Depth (height): About 3.5 cm. Disc diameter:             About 3 mm. Shape: Circular; raised dome. Receptacle             diameter: About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to             3 mm. Receptacle texture: Smooth, glabrous. Receptacle             color: Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About or more than             200 ray florets per inflorescence arranged in about ten             whorls. Length: About 1.5 cm to 2 cm. Width: About 5 mm.             Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.             Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Matte.             Color: When opening, upper surface: Close to 179A. When             opening, lower surface: Close to 171B. Fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 171B; color becoming closer to 20A with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 167B;             color becoming closer to 20B with development.         -   Disc florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 40 disc             florets per inflorescence and massed at the center of the             receptacle; disc florets inconspicuous. Length: About 3 mm.             Diameter: About 0.5 mm to 1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated;             apices acute. Color, immature: Apex: Close to 145A.             Mid-section: Close to 145A. Base: Close to 145A. Color,             mature: Apex: Close to 12A. Mid-section: Close to 12A. Base:             Close to 12A.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity and arrangement: About 25 phyllaries             per inflorescence arranged in about two or three whorls.             Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm. Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm.             Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded. Base: Rounded to truncate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Matte. Color,             upper surface: Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to             N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 6 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 6 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             6 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Luster: Matte. Color: Close to 136A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: None observed. Gynoecium:             None observed.         -   Seeds and fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new     Chrysanthemum grown under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Miora Orange’ as illustrated and described. 